ANALYZE THAT

SYNOPSIS:
As New York Mob boss Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) nears the end of his sentence in Sing Sing, he baffles FBI agents monitoring him by walking around his cell in a semi-catatonic state, singing songs from West Side Story. The FBI isnít sure whether this is a ploy for an early release or whether the former crim has just cracked up. Nor is his former psychotherapist Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal), who is called in for an opinion. But Sobel is going through his own identity crisis following the death of his father, and is dismayed when Vitti is released conditionally into his custody, knowing that his wife Laura (Lisa Kudrow) will be fuming to learn that they have a house guest.

Review by Louise Keller:
A series of sketches sloppily slung together, Analyze That is a dismal disappointment. What a wonderful novel notion to cast De Niro and Crystal as mobster and shrink in the original Analyze This three years ago, when drama and comedy walked a tantalising tightrope and the glib one-liners jumped around freely like a kid on a trampoline. But this sequel is a sorry case of tired jokes, contrived sentiments and slapstick that needs a total facelift. If anyone is to analyze this latest outing, it should be De Niro and Crystal, who would be well advised to don their Mafioso personas and shoot the writers. And the director. Harold Ramis should have seen the writing on the wall.†

The trouble is that we donít believe any of it. Itís simply Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal goofing around with some bad lines, vulgarities and poorly judged false sentiments. It starts well enough with some funny situations and plenty of promise. Heck, thereís even a musical segment set in Sing Sing, and the scene when Crystalís shrink barks like a dog, pokes and prods De Niroís catatonic face is funny in anyoneís language. (It certainly sets up the out-takes when the credits roll, when De Niroís stony, unresponsive features crack up.)†

Lisa Kudrow is terrific in the early scenes, with her dry delivery and offbeat timing, but even Kudrow loses her shine in the second half. De Niro and Crystal both have their moments, but De Niro is very inconsistent, and Crystal badly misjudges the restaurant scene when manipulating his mouth with chopsticks and thick, white noodles hang out of his mouth like a tubular waterfall. Joe Viterelli, whose Mob right hand man was so integral to the plot in the first film, has unfortunately been relegated to being a superfluous appendage, while Anthony LaPagliaís role as the star of a television series about mobsters is extremely poorly directed.†

The idea of bringing the real mobsters to the tv set is inspired, but thereís no pay off Ė just like the entire film, which never satisfies on any level. Whatever you do, donít analyze this one; better still give the flick the flick.